Sibling Rivalry
by Alex Stroud
Summary: A stranger comes to Sunnydale, but is she what she seems, and what is her connection to the Slayer? Please R&R as I'm really struggling with this one and I need to know if it's worth finishing!
1. Prologue

The quiet of the night was shattered as a large motorcycle roared up to the limits of Sunnydale, CA. The rider was tall, blonde and would have been extremely good looking if he hadn't been quite so pale. As the rider surveyed the landscape around him, his face transformed, providing him with a ridged forehead, gleaming eyes and fangs that to any normal girl were somewhat of a turn off as well!   
  
The vampire, Jonathan, killed the engine of his bike and stood revelling in the quietness of the summer night. He could almost feel the power of this place, this Hellmouth. It was said that here the boundaries between Earth and demon dimensions were at their narrowest and that this was the ideal place for a vampire to live and thrive. That is, of course, if they managed to stay out of the way of the Slayer! Still, Jonathan had no intention of mixing it up with that teen killer, he'd heard enough horror stories about her to convince him that it was best to stay away, (second hand stories of course, most of the individuals who had first hand experience of the Slayer were no longer around to talk about it!)   
  
But he needed to be here, he was sick of running from her. She'd almost caught him in LA. The vampire with a soul that she'd employed was damn good, if it hadn't been for the brunette, what was her name? Oh yes Cordelia! Well if it hadn't been for Cordelia then Jonathan would have been dust by now. Her friends were too busy trying to stop the flow of blood from her neck to chase after him. But she had given him some very useful information, in fact it was her that had revealed the existence of the Hellmouth under Sunnydale and tipped him off to the fact that there was a Slayer located there. A good Slayer too.  
  
So Jonathan had done his homework, researching the place, it's history, it's people and it's darker side. Now he believed that this was the place and now was the time. Time to end this hunt once and for all. All he had to do was avoid the damn Slayer and find the place where he would be at his strongest, where he could do what he had come here to.  
  
But right now he was hungry. After all Cordelia had been some time ago now and he hadn't even got to finish her. First order of the night was food, something young and blonde preferably, then he would find the place in which the final showdown would take place.   



	2. Part 1

Well, I don't see why he has to go and meet her! thought Buffy Summers rebelliously as she waited by one of the college noticeboards.  
  
I mean it's not like he's seen her for ever, five years is a long time. She could be scary old woman by now. Today was supposed to be a me, Riley and picnic day. Not a bus station, motel and old friend from England type day. And where is he anyway? He was supposed to have been here 10 minutes ago, if I stand here on my own much longer I'll start to look like Buffy no friends.   
  
Turning away from the notices that she had read about half a dozen times, Buffy sighed, shouldered her bag and headed for the nearest bench. As she settled down to wait for Riley she thought back to the previous evening's date when he had sprung this surprise on her.   
  
They'd gone in to town, to a local pizza place that Buffy had thrown a couple of minor demons out from the week before. The manager was so relieved at the small amount of damage caused by the "gang members on PCP", (or so the official story went) that he'd offered them a free meal. Never one to pass up free food Riley had insisted they take the manager up on his offer and so they'd headed there the night before.  
  
Probably trying to stuff me so full of food so I couldn't hit him when he told me about her! groused Buffy.  
  
Suddenly a shadow fell across her.  
  
"Hey Buffy" said the figure.  
  
"Willow, hi, what's up?"  
  
"The price of fish!" quipped Willow. Buffy stared at her blankly.  
  
"The price of fish?" she asked disbelieving.   
  
"Well I thought it was funny" returned Willow, a little defensively.  
  
"OK" said Buffy. "I wouldn't plan on taking up comedy as a career anytime soon though." She added.  
  
"I wasn't, I was trying to cheer you up a bit. You've been sad girl since your date last night. Nothing wrong is there?" Listening to Willow, Buffy felt a bit guilty, she had been a bit grumpy that morning and as her roomie, Willow had got the brunt of it.  
  
"Yes, no, not really, well maybe. Oh I'm not sure," she babbled.  
  
"Eeek, I take back sad girl and substitute confused girl!" said Willow. "What happened?"  
  
"Well, we were having dessert when Riley tells me that he can't make our picnic today. He has to go to the bus station to meet some woman that he used to be friends with, hasn't seen for five years and that he used to have a crush on. Apparently they've kept in touch as she's been travelling the world and now she's coming to Sunnydale for a few days. I mean, she was about 20 then, so now she'll be about 25 and probably be sophisticated and beautiful and what if he still likes her? Buffy got the explanation out in one breath that ended in almost a wail.  
  
"Oh" said Willow, "so you're jealous girl not confused girl?"  
  
"I am not jealous. I'm just, just.. Well I don't know what I am but she'd better not get any funny ideas about my man." Willow smiled.  
  
"Buffy, he's crazy about you. You have nothing to worry about. He's just doing his good boy scout thing. You know, the one you like."  
  
"You think?" asked Buffy.  
  
"I know!" said Willow.  
  
"Know what?" asked a new voice. Buffy's heart skipped a beat as she looked at Riley standing in the sun.   
  
God he is so cute! she thought for about the millionth time.  
  
Buffy and Willow looked at each other and giggled. Riley raised his eyes to heaven and asked,  
  
"Buffy, you ready? Lucy's bus gets in in 15 minutes, I don't want to be late."  
  
Buffy smiled brightly.  
  
"Sure" she said, "lead on! Catch you later Willow."  
  
Willow watched as the couple made their way off campus. Buffy was so lucky to have found Riley. Of course she would never forget Angel, but she was getting on with her life and that was a good thing.  
  
What about me though? thought Willow.   
  
When am I going to meet someone and get on with my life? How can I survive without Oz? When is the pain going to go away?   
  
Sighing she picked up her rucksack and continued on to her destination.   
  
I wonder if Tara has come up with any new spells to try today? she thought as she walked.  



	3. Part 2

Buffy didn't really like the bus station very much. Bad memories. It was from this place that she had left Sunnydale after having to kill the man that she had loved. Even though Angel was alive and well, no actually he was dead and well, the pain that she had experienced here, whilst waiting for the bus to take her away, washed over her again in a wave as she entered the gloom. Involuntarily, she stiffened slightly. Riley, holding her hand, looked at her concerned,  
  
"Hey, are you OK?" He asked. "You've gone a bit pale."  
  
"Mmm? Oh sorry. I'm fine. Just a shiver, you know, like someone walked over my grave."  
  
"Don't even go there," replied Riley giving her a quick hug. "I do not want to talk about you and graves!"  
  
"Ah yes point taken." Buffy decided to change the subject quickly before Riley asked any more questions about her reaction. One day she would tell him all about Angel, but she couldn't, not quite yet.  
  
"What time is the bus due?" she asked. Looking at his watch Riley answered,   
  
"Right about now." He looked around him. The bus station was empty of buses. "And I guess that the buses are running late. That's just about typical really. So I guess we wait." The couple sat down on a nearby bench to wait.  
  
"Listen, I'm going to get a soda, you want one?" said Riley standing up again.  
  
"Sure, something cold and diet."  
  
"Coming up." Riley dropped a quick kiss on the top of Buffy's head and headed off to the refreshment stand that they'd passed on their way in a few minutes ago. Buffy felt a delicious tingle all over, she always got that when Riley kissed her and boy did she like it! For the second time that day she sat down on the bench and waited for Riley. As soon as she had sat down however, the LA bus pulled into the station and began to disgorge it's passengers.   
  
Great thought Buffy. Men! Never around when you need them! OK. Well, I'm sure that I can recognise her. About 25, long, red hair, glasses, green eyes and English. Can't be too many people like that on the bus. Buffy studied each person as they descended from the bus. No one matched the description Riley had given Buffy. This must be my lucky day! She must have missed the bus! Buffy giggled gleefully. I get to have a me and Riley day after all!   
  
She turned to look for Riley and as she did she failed to notice a girl with short blonde hair step from the bus and look around her. When her eyes rested on Buffy they widened slightly, as if in recognition. She turned away and began to walk in the other direction.  
  
"Hey Lucy! Wait up!" The blonde swung around. Buffy looked in the direction that Riley was looking. OK so she's changed a little. mused Buffy And if she's 25 then I'm a normal girl with a normal life. She doesn't look any older than me. And now she's hugging my boyfriend, time to step in.   
  
"Lucy, It's so good to see you, you look great! Different, but great!" said Riley.  
  
"It's good to see you too!" replied Lucy. Buffy walked towards the pair, extending her hand.  
  
"Hi Lucy, I'm Buffy, Riley's girlfriend. I'm so pleased to meet you. Riley's told me all about you." Lucy turned to look at Buffy. As their eyes met, Buffy was overwhelmed by the feeling that this was a person who she could trust. Feeling a little disconcerted, she continued.   
  
"Well his description was completely useless, he said you had red hair and glasses and, oh God, I am so babbling!" Buffy's greeting came to a halt and she blushed slightly. Oh great! she thought. Now I look like a complete idiot. Ground, I command you to open and swallow me up. However, this was the Hellmouth, it never did things you asked it too. So Buffy stood there, holding out her hand, feeling stupid.   
  
"Nice to meet you, Buffy Summers." replied Lucy. "Don't worry about the babbling. It happens to us all." She smiled at Buffy, who stared back at her. Then, right out of the blue the two of them began to giggle.  
  
"Great!" exclaimed Riley, sarcastically. "You too are going to get on so well. A poor guy like me doesn't stand a chance now!" The girls looked at him and chorused,  
  
"Absolutely, none!"  
  
"In that case I give up before I even start! Come on, let's get Lucy to her motel so she can freshen up, or whatever you girls do."   
  
"Thanks. Then what do we do for fun around here?" asked Lucy looking at Buffy. Riley began to answer,  
  
"Din..."   
  
"We Bronze!" said Buffy firmly.  
  
"Bronze?"  
  
"Bronze," Buffy repeated. "Music, dancing, friends, beverages and so on."  
  
"Sounds good to me." Lucy bent to pick up her bags, but Riley got there before her. "Still the good little Boy Scout I see?" she teased. "Nice to see that something's don't change." Taking Buffy's arm, Lucy said,  
  
"Lead on McDuff. Conduct me to my place of rest and then further to the place of entertainment. I wish to boogie!" Again the girls giggled. Riley rolled his eyes to heaven and followed the girls out of the bus station back into the sun. This is going to be one interesting visit. he thought.  



	4. Part 3

Part 3  
  
Buffy looked around her, somewhat disappointed. For a Friday night the Bronze was kind of quiet. She had really wanted it to be kicking so that Lucy wouldn't get too bored. After all, she said that she came from London and everybody knows that the capital of the UK was a happening place. Besides, she really wanted Lucy to like her. OK she thought. So that's a bit childish. But she's a part of Riley's past and I'm his present so... Here her thoughts came to a halt as she realised that she was now babbling to herself.  
  
"Penny for them?" asked Willow, as she and Xander arrived back at the table with the parties drinks.  
  
"Not worth a red cent!" replied Buffy. "So I won't take your money! Will, what do you think of Lucy?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Just curious."  
  
"Well, she's nice. Riley's description wasn't exactly spot on, but hey, he's a guy. Sometimes though.." Willow trailed off.  
  
"Sometimes?" prompted Buffy. Willow tried to marshal her thoughts to reply but Xander got in there first.  
  
"Sometimes she seems like she's our age." He stated. "She knows all the latest stuff, technology, films, music etc. But other times it seems like she's really, well, sometimes she has old eyes." Willow nodded and the pair looked at Buffy trying to make her understand what they were getting at. Buffy stared at them then said,  
  
"That's probably because she's English. They have all that history to contend with!" she giggled. Willow and Xander joined her and the trio fell about laughing.  
  
"What's so funny?" asked Riley as he and Lucy returned to the table from the dance floor.  
  
"Oh you know, just girlie stuff!" replied Buffy.  
  
"Hey!" exclaimed Xander, somewhat insulted. Riley shook his head as he and Lucy sat down.  
  
"This is so great!" enthused Lucy. "I haven't been to a club like this in ages! I'd forgotten how much fun it was." Willow, Xander and Buffy exchanged glances as Lucy continued.  
  
"This band is really cool too. Although, is it me or does it seem like someone is missing from the line up? The balance isn't quite right is it?" There was a sharp intake of breath from Willow, then a silence fell around the table. Buffy laid her hand on Willow's arm and Riley and Xander looked anywhere but at the people sat around the table.  
  
"Whoa." Said Lucy. "What did I say? I said the wrong thing right? Look whoever I said the wrong thing too, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean too. I mean I didn't know." She turned to Buffy, "Now look who's babbling." She said. Buffy smiled slightly as Willow answered Lucy somewhat shakily.  
  
"My boyfriend used to be the guitarist in the band. He had some head issues to sort out so he had to go away. The other guitarist is just filling in to cover the gigs till he comes back or.. Or the Dingoes find someone permanent." Lucy gave a Willow a sympathetic smile.  
  
"Recent, huh?" she asked. Willow nodded. "Still hurts like a bitch?" Willow nodded again, tears forming in her eyes. Suddenly Lucy jumped to her feet.  
  
"Would you do me the honour of this dance, mademoiselle?" she asked Willow in a dreadful French accent. Without giving Willow time to answer, she pulled her from her seat and whirled her off in a mock waltz, somehow managing to keep in time with the heavy rock beat of the Dingoes music. As they danced Xander spotted Anya entering the Bronze.  
  
"Oops, gotta go." He muttered. "Catch ya later!" With his head down and jacket collar turned up Xander slipped away quietly in a vain attempt to hide from the ex demon with a passion for his body.  
  
Riley and Buffy watched the their friends in companionable silence for a while. Lucy and Willow had now finished their waltz and were attempting to Charleston, hampered somewhat by the fact that they were in absolute hysterics. Chuckling to himself Riley turned to Buffy.  
  
"So?" he asked.  
  
"So what?" countered Buffy.  
  
"You know what! What do you think of Lucy?" Buffy thought for a moment, then replied,  
  
"I like. She's cool."  
  
"Yes she is." Riley looked at Lucy and Willow who had given up on the Charleston and were now attempting the can can. His chuckle developed into a roar of laughter. Buffy narrowed her eyes and looked at him.  
  
"Hey, do we have a case of reoccurring crush here? she asked him. Riley turned to her and cupping her chin with his hand he answered softly,  
  
"There is only one woman for me and she's right here." He kissed her gently. Eek thought Buffy, There goes that tingle again! With somewhat of a struggle she forced herself to listen to what Riley was saying.  
  
"Lucy once told me that she loved me and that she always would." Buffy pulled away slightly, this she did not want to hear. Riley pulled her back to him and continued to explain.  
  
"She said that the love she had for me was more of a sister's love for her brother than anything else. And that that was all it would ever be. I won't deny that at the time I was disappointed but strangely enough it doesn't worry me any more." He smiled at her and she wriggled closer to him.  
  
"Well, that's OK then. Because if she was after you then I'd have to kick her butt. And then yours and then any one else's who got in my way." Riley chuckled yet again. Gotta love a girl with violent tendencies he thought. Then, as the Dingoes began their last number, the couple got up to dance with Lucy and Willow, who had decided to pass on the ancient dances and were now instead break dancing. 


	5. Part 4

Part 4  
  
The Bronze was closed and quiet. All the attendees had left the area safely and Buffy, Riley, Willow and Lucy were strolling back to campus for ice cream and chocolate. Riley and Willow were indulging in one of their daft alphabet games. Right now they were running through cartoon characters.  
  
Riley: "Daffy Duck"  
  
Willow: "Elmer Fudd"  
  
Riley paused, stuck for a moment then came back with.  
  
"Fudd, Elmer". Willow let out a outraged squeak.  
  
"You can't do that, it's cheating!"  
  
"It is not!"  
  
"'Tis too!"  
  
Buffy looked at the pair walking in front of her and Lucy and shook her head.  
  
"Sad" she muttered. "Anyway" she continued, turning back to Lucy "where were we?"  
  
Lucy stopped and looked Buffy straight in the eyes.  
  
"Buffy, can I ask you something?"  
  
"Um, OK."  
  
"How much does Riley know?" Buffy stared at her, not comprehending the question.  
  
"How much does Riley know?" Lucy repeated. "How much does he know about you being the Slayer?"  
  
Buffy recoiled as though she had walked into a brick wall. As her body moved into a defensive posture, her mind was racing. What the hell was going on?  
  
Before she had a chance to reply a series of growls came from all around them. Riley and Willow, their game forgotten, shot back to join them. As the four came together in the centre of the road, eight vampires in full game face, leapt from hiding places in gardens and surrounded the group.  
  
There was a pause. Then with a concerted snarl the vampires rushed towards them.  
  
In a flash, Buffy too exploded into action. The first vampire was dispatched effortlessly, almost running on to Buffy's stake as he ran towards her. Gotta be newbies she thought.  
  
She dropped to the ground and scissor kicked the second vamps legs out from underneath him. As he hit the floor, he too met Mr Pointy. As she rose to face the next one, a vicious kick from behind sent her flying. Turning the fall into a roll she sprang back to her feet and hurled a stake at her attacker. Smiling slightly as he was satisfactorily dusted she turned quickly back to the fight and assessed the situation. Only four left. Okay, she'd done three, Riley had probably done the other. He had two more menacing him, Willow was dealing with one magically and Lucy was dealing some swift blows to the last. I guess what she's dealing with hasn't sunk in yet thought Buffy. At least she hasn't panicked and run   
  
As Buffy raced towards Lucy to help her, everything happened at once. Willow, completing her spell, staked the vampire that she'd frozen in place. Riley threw off the two vampires that had been threatening to overwhelm him. Buffy, catching one, threw him against the nearest tree and grabbing her stake ran to dispose of him. The second cannoned into Willow and landed on top of her, pinning her to the ground. With a triumphant growl the vamp bent in to bite. Willow screamed. Having staked the vampire at the foot of the tree, Buffy whirled round and moved to help her friend. But Riley was faster. Hauling the vampire from Willow, he landed a succession of kicks and punches that sent the vampire reeling. Jumping to her feet, Willow ran around behind her would be attacker and staked him. The three turned as one towards Lucy and halted in shock.  
  
The final vampire had Lucy pinned to a wall and was closing in for the kill. Lucy wasn't struggling but she wasn't unconscious either. As Buffy, Riley and Willow raced towards her they could hear her, chanting something. It wasn't a recognisable language but Willow could feel the power flowing through the words. Suddenly she knew that to interfere would be disastrous. She grabbed and Buffy and Riley and pulled them to a halt.  
  
"Don't touch her!" she exclaimed, "You can't help!" The others began to protest, but Willow silenced them. "Trust me and just watch." She commanded.  
  
The blue glow around Lucy and the vampire had strengthened in intensity until it was almost too bright to bear. Then without warning Lucy shouted a word.  
  
The vampire staggered back, a look of immense shock on his face and he screamed as if in agony as he exploded into a pile of dust.  
  
Buffy, Riley and Willow stared at Lucy as the glow faded.  
  
"Well, I guess I have my answer on how much Riley knows about you being the Slayer" she said, dusting herself off. 


	6. Part 5

Part 5  
  
Giles hummed softly as he lifted his treasured books from various boxes and cases littered around his living room. It had taken him some time before he could face unpacking everything that had been saved from the library. He'd finally come to terms with the loss of several irreplaceable books that had been incinerated in the explosion that had destroyed the Mayor. Never again was he going to let his filing get so behind! If those books had been in their rightful places then they never would have been destroyed. No one seemed to understand what the loss of those books had meant to him. They were him, his contribution to the fight against the evil that constantly threatened the world and the evil that so few people knew about.  
  
Whilst it had meant the saving of Sunnydale and the thwarting of the Mayor's plans, the destruction of the High School had had its downsides. Unemployment, loneliness, the feeling that Buffy didn't need him any more and worst of all the fact that instead of the library bearing the brunt of the damage caused by the fight against the hordes, now it always seemed to be his house that suffered! Well, at least now that he had the books at his home there wouldn't be hordes of students interrupting his research every five minutes.  
  
No point in getting morbid about the whole thing thought Giles. Just time for a last cup of tea and then bed.   
  
Getting up from the floor, Giles stretched and made his way to the kitchen. Not a long journey certainly, but long enough to be halted half way by a hammering on the front door. Giles glanced at the clock, just after twelve.  
  
Has to be Buffy. Oh lord what's gone wrong now? Hurrying to the door, Giles pulled back the 3 bolts, took off the 2 chains and undid the deadlock. Pulling open the door, he caught sight of Buffy's raised eyebrow.  
  
"Giles, have you been watching home security videos again?" she asked sarcastically. Without waiting for a reply, she pushed past him into the apartment. Following her, Willow smiled apologetically.  
  
"Did we wake you?" she asked. Giles looked confused. "Nice robe" she said. Glancing down at himself, he realised that he was, as Willow had pointed out, in his night attire.  
  
"Ah, yes, well, um. It is rather late you know. I'll just go and er. Yes, well back in a minute." Backing out of the room, he practically flew up the stairs into his bedroom. Grabbing a pair of trousers, (he absolutely refused to call them pants) and a shirt, he quickly changed and went back down to the people waiting below.  
  
Whilst he had been changing, Buffy and Willow had been joined by Xander, Anya and Riley. There was also another blonde girl, sat on the sofa, quite at ease despite the hard looks being directed at her by Buffy. Strangely, Riley seemed to be very uneasy and kept looking at the girl as if trying to work out who she was.  
  
"Um, hello?" Giles said holding her hand out to the girl. "I'm.."  
  
"Rupert Giles" said the girl, shaking his hand. "I'm very pleased to meet you Mr Giles."  
  
"You rather have the advantage of me."  
  
"My name is Lucy, Lucy Sullivan."  
  
"You're English."  
  
"Yes, originally. I haven't been there for quite a while. I miss it sometimes." Lucy smiled wistfully, a smile that was echoed by Giles.  
  
"Could I offer you some tea?" asked Giles, moving towards the kitchen.  
  
"That would be lovely, I don't suppose you have any Earl Grey do you?"  
  
"I think I might be able to find some in the cupboards."  
  
"Excuse me, but the hospitality can wait!" Buffy pushed angrily past Giles and stood almost nose to nose with Lucy.  
  
"You have some explaining to do. One, who are you? Two, where do you come from? Three, what's with the glowing vampire killing act? Four, " Buffy paused, " well I can't think of a four right now, but start talking and I'm sure one will come to me." She crossed her arms and stood looking at Lucy with a belligerent expression. Riley jumped to his feet and moved towards the pair, torn between the girl he loved now and the girl from his youth. Lucy smiled.  
  
"Buffy, you know who I am. I'm Lucy Sullivan, I'm from London. England and I'm perfectly willing to explain the 'glowing vampire killing act'. You see I need your help. Please can't we all sit down and discuss this like rational human beings" she asked.  
  
"You sure you're human?" spat Buffy.  
  
"Buffy!" exclaimed Giles. "Is there any need to be rude?" Buffy spun round to face him.  
  
"You weren't there Giles. She glowed like, like, something glowie. And she knew all about me being the slayer and who you were and I bet she knows all sorts of other stuff that she's not supposed to. And I want to know why. Now." Turning back round to face Lucy, Buffy was slightly disconcerted to realise that the girl was no longer there.  
  
"I took the liberty of making the tea" came Lucy's voice from the kitchen. Giles blinked.  
  
"That was, um, quick." He stammered slightly. The others looked startled. Lucy smiled slightly.  
  
"I hope that Earl Grey is alright for everyone?" Balancing the tray in one hand, Lucy returned to the group and set the tray down on the table.  
  
"I also found some biscuits, oh sorry, some cookies, in a cupboard. You do seem to have a wide variety Giles. I don't know about everyone else but I'm a little hungry." As she spoke she passed around cups of tea to all present and when they all had possession of a cup she sat on the desk.  
  
"I know that I owe you all an explanation, especially you Riley, and I promise that I will try to make everything clear, but before I start I need one final thing. Giles, do you have the watchers diaries that cover the years 1872 to 1874?"  
  
"Yes, yes I do, they're in a box somewhere around here. Do you want them?" Giles moved to a box and rummaged for a moment before returning to his seat, books in hand.  
  
"No, please hold on to them, you'll need them later to verify what I tell you." Lucy took a deep breath and looked at Riley.  
  
"Firstly, Riley, please believe me that I never lied to you. I may not have been able to tell you everything but I never lied to you. About anything." As Lucy turned back to face the rest of the room, Buffy possessively took Riley's hand in hers. He patted her hand absently, concentrating on Lucy. Buffy pouted slightly, then gave herself a mental shake and listened. 


	7. Part 6

Part 6  
  
The sound of high pitched giggling drifted across the park as two young women made their way home after a night out with friends. As they laughed their way through the evenings events they didn't notice a tall figure step out onto the path in front of them. Until he spoke that was.  
  
"Good evening ladies. How kind of you to venture into the park on such a lovely night." Executing a low bow, he continued. The girls looked at each other and giggled again, too drunk to realise their danger.  
  
"Hmm, a blonde and a brunette. Which to have first?" This time the girls look was confused. Sensing that perhaps they were in danger, they began to back away. For each step they took back, the man took one towards them.  
  
"Eeny meeny miny mo. Catch my dinner by her toe. Blonde first I think, then brunette. Always save the best till last." With those words his face transformed and he leapt at them. Grabbing the blonde with his left hand, he lashed out at the brunette, smashing her against a tree. As she slumped to the ground, unconscious, the vampire Jonathan, bent over the blonde and began to feed hungrily. Suddenly he was interrupted as an angry voice erupted from the shadows.  
  
"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing? That was my dinner. I've only been bloody following them for the last 15 minutes. For God's sake it gets so as a bloke can't have a decent feed around here without someone getting in the way." Jonathan stood up, still holding the body of the girl and moved to stand in front of the other vampire.  
  
"Then perhaps you should have taken them sooner?" he said quietly. The other vampire blinked.  
  
"Maybe I wanted to chase them a bit, get all that adrenaline flowing first?"  
  
"Ah, in that case, my apologies for spoiling your fun. Please take the other one, I always try not to be too greedy, especially in a new town." Jonathan stepped back and gestured towards the brunette who was still lying at the base of the tree.  
  
"Cheers mate. Don't mind if I do." With that the other vampire moved to the girl and pulling her towards him, bit and fed. Jonathan, meanwhile, finishing his meal, threw the body into the bushes and waited for the other to stop his noisy drinking. Letting the body of the brunette slump to the ground the vampire turned to Jonathan.  
  
"Fancy a beer?" Jonathan nodded and the two moved off together.  
  
"Name's Spike by the way. Been here a while now. Show you around, if you like." Spike lit a cigarette, offering one to Jonathan who shook his head.  
  
"I need some information." he said. "I need to know the location of the Hellmouth"  
  
"Welcome to Sunnydale. The whole damn town is the Hellmouth."  
  
"No the actual place where it opens."  
  
"And you want to know that because...."  
  
"There's someone I need to kill. And I need to open the Hellmouth to do it."  
  
"Permanently?" asked Spike. "I'm only curious because we've been there a few times already and the constant failure gets a bit boring after a while."  
  
"No, not permanently. Just long enough for me to complete my task and then I'll close it."  
  
"In that case, I know exactly the place you're looking for. Ruins of the old high school. Library to be precise."  
  
"Ruins?" Jonathan looked puzzled.  
  
"Long story mate. Come on, Don't like hanging around the remains of dinner too long. You never know who's going to come along and have a go at you." Spike and Jonathan began to move towards the exit of the park.  
  
"You didn't tell me your name." Spike didn't know why he was hooking up with this guy, but his senses were working over time and they were sensing the power within the other vampire. This guy was going to cause some major trouble and trouble was Spike's favourite pastime. Especially if it meant causing trouble for the Slayer.  
  
Although I'll take great care to make damn sure I'm not between the two of them when the trouble goes down. I've had more than enough of getting my ass kicked he thought. Jonathan began to answer his questions.  
  
"My name is Jonathan, Jonathan Sullivan. And a beer would be very nice." 


	8. Part 7

Part 7  
  
"I was born in London, that much is absolutely true. My parents were good, unremarkable people. My mother was the youngest daughter of minor nobility and my father was the only son of a wealthy merchant. It was a marriage based purely on love, but the fact that both had a substantial fortune enabled them to live well and be received in polite society."  
  
As Lucy spoke, the others listened in silence. The only movement in the room was caused by Lucy as she toyed with the locket round her neck. Buffy felt a chill go down her spine, why did she get the impression that this was not going to be a story with a happy ending?  
  
"My parents had six children. 4 boys and 2 girls. First was Matthew, then Tobias, then Thomas. Next came twins, myself and my twin brother Jonathan. Finally, there was Emily. She was the baby, born 10 years after us and probably spoilt rotten. But she was the sweetest child I have ever met and we adored her." Lucy smiled in remembrance. Willow too, now began to feel uncomfortable. Something was not good about this story, why was Lucy speaking of her family in the past tense?  
  
"Life was so good, we knew no hardship, no pain, no hurt. We loved and we were loved. All that ended one Christmas Eve." Lucy voice trembled and threatened to break. Almost unconsciously, Riley stood and moved behind her as if trying to protect her from her memories, on her right Giles reached out and took her hand, and on her left Willow did the same. Buffy moved to directly in front of her, Xander and Anya completed the circle around the young English girl. All of them stood silently, yet with their very presence, encouraged Lucy to continue.  
  
"My brother Jonathan and I had just turned 18. He was strong and handsome and had his pick of the local girls. But he had eyes for only one. Her name was Rebecca Evenson and she was my best friend. Her brother, Luke, had recently been paying me a great deal of attention and it was widely expected, within our social circle, that a double engagement was to be announced."  
  
"It was late afternoon on this particular Christmas Eve. Jonathan had bought the most exquisite crystal rose as a gift for Rebecca. He was wrapping it in the finest silk that he could find when his ring caught on the silk and tore it. He was so angry, he wanted the present to be perfect. I told him that we could cut the piece of silk so that the tear would be gone and that there would be just enough left to wrap the rose. But that wasn't good enough. He would know that it was not as perfect as it should have been." Lucy gave a soft laugh. "My brother the perfectionist. This was the little boy who kept mice in a cage and had permanently skinned knees between the ages of 5 and 14. Isn't it strange the effect that love has on people." There were small smiles and nods of agreement from Lucy's listeners.  
  
"Been there, done that!" quipped Xander. Lucy continued,  
  
" There was a milliners a few streets away from us. Jonathan knew that they were likely to be open, finishing the hats ordered by their wealthier customers, the ones that they absolutely had to have for the Christmas festivities. He decided to go to them and try to buy similar piece of silk from them to complete Rebecca's gift. I tried to persuade him to stay and to send one of the servants out, but he refused. He said that they had enough to do preparing for tomorrow and, besides, it was his present and he wanted to do it properly. So he went." As Lucy spoke a single tear ran down her left cheek. Suddenly she shook off the hands of her comforters and exploded into movement. Jumping down from the table and almost fleeing from the enclosing circle, she whirled back to face her listeners, her arms wrapped around her as if they were her only defence against the memories she was retelling.  
  
"I didn't know! How was I to know that I would never see him again? That he was going to his death? I didn't know I couldn't!" Lucy was crying hard, her breath coming in gasps and tears pouring down her face. Giles stood up.  
  
"You couldn't have known, there was no way to tell. I'm assuming he was killed by a vampire?" Lucy nodded and, with Giles' arm around her, allowed herself to be led to the sofa.  
  
"Yes, it was a vampire, although we didn't know it at the time. All we knew was that Jonathan went out to buy silk and never came home. My brothers searched all night for him, but they couldn't find a trace of him anywhere. He had been to the milliners and had bought some red silk, so he must have been on his way home. In the shop they said that he seemed slightly worried, he joked that he thought someone was following him. They didn't really take any notice, everyone thought it was just high spirits."  
  
"Christmas Day was terrible. We opened no presents, we ate no food. We sat in the drawing room and waited desperately for him to come home. But he didn't. On the morning of the 26th, we received a visit from the local constable. They had found a body in the docks area of the town and they thought that it might be Jonathan. My father and Matthew went to look at the body." Lucy's voice dropped to a whisper "It was him."  
  
"There were no witnesses and no clues. The official theory was that Jonathan had gone to the area seeking the company of one of the ladies who plied their trade there." At the merest mention of sex, Xander ears pricked up, but soon subsided when he realised that they weren't going down that route. Unaware of Xander's disappointment, Lucy continued.  
  
"Once there he had been robbed and murdered. His purse was missing. There was no investigation and in those days, no post mortem. Jonathan was simply dead. We should grieve for him and move on." Lucy's voice started to become stronger as if it was the only way to deal with the horror of what she was relaying to them. Meanwhile, Buffy had realised something odd about what Lucy had said and pounced on it.  
  
"I have questions. Firstly, I know that the British are somewhat backwards sometimes," she paused and looked at Giles, "No offence."  
  
"None taken" replied Giles, slightly huffily anyway. Buffy continued,  
  
"But even they don't have that Jane Austen type class system anymore. And post mortems have been carried out for years. And much as I want to like you, I am not blinded by a schoolboy crush." She looked at Riley, "No offence." Riley grimaced.  
  
"None taken" he said.  
  
"You're right. A class society like that doesn't exist today and, yes, post mortems are now common in cases of suspicious deaths. But the time I'm telling you about is very different."  
  
"And what time exactly might that be?" Buffy asked with a slight tinge of sarcasm. Lucy stood and looked Buffy directly in the eye.  
  
"1860." She said quietly.  
  
There was a stunned silence in the room. Riley took on the appearance of a startled rabbit caught in car headlights, Willow and Giles sat limply, staring at Lucy. Xander was rapidly doing the maths in his head. Only Anya seemed unconcerned.  
  
"That means that you're 140 years old" cried Xander, finally working it out. Lucy shook her head.  
  
"Actually, I told you that I was 18 when that happened, so actually I'm 158." Xander blushed and sank back in his seat.  
  
"Well, three guesses why I'm not in college then." He muttered, self deprecatingly. Anya sniffed,  
  
"158? That's nothing, I'm over a thousand years old." Now it was Lucy's turn to look surprised. She looked at Giles.  
  
"Ex-vengeance demon" he explained with a shrug.  
  
"Of course Anya. Anyanka I suppose really?" Anya nodded. "Yes I've read about you." She leaned forward, interestedly. "What are you doing in Sunnydale and more to the point, how come you're mortal?"  
  
"Ah excuse me?" said Buffy, a little more sarcastically than before. "I believe I was asking the questions. Could we please go back to the 1860 bit, I don't know about the rest of you but I'd like a little more explanation on that one please."  
  
"Well if you'd let me carry on I'll explain." Replied Lucy a little crossly. Riley spoke for the first time,  
  
"I think we should listen, Buffy. Strikes me that this is going to be a hell of a tale." Holding out his hands to Buffy, he drew her into his arms and, as she settled there, they turned to look at Lucy as she carried on the story of her life.  
  
"As I said, we were expected to grieve and move on. We buried Jonathan 2 days later, you didn't keep bodies around for long in those days and tried to somehow carry on with our lives. It was so hard. Jonathan was part of me, he was my twin. Losing him was like losing part of myself. Pray to whatever God you want that you never experience the pain of a loss like that." Lucy was so intent on telling her story that she didn't notice the shadows that crossed her listeners eyes. Giles, as he remembered Jenny. Willow, as she yearned for Oz. Buffy, as she thought of Angel. As ever, Anya was unconcerned, although even she put her hand to her neck, where once her amulet hung.  
  
"In the New Year it was decided that Rebecca and I, needed a change of scenery. We were both desperately unhappy and our parents were beginning to worry about us. The Evenson's, took a town house in Bath for 6 months, and Rebecca, Luke, my youngest sister Emily and I accompanied Mr and Mrs Evenson there."  
  
"It's a cliché, I know, but time is a great healer. We knew that we would always miss him, but after a few months, we began to come to terms with our loss. And, in time, Luke asked me to marry him. I knew that Jonathan would have wanted us to be happy so I accepted his proposal. And for a time, it seemed that life was going to get better."  
  
"We had regular letters from both our parents in the time that Emily and I were in Bath, so we were aware of the strange things that had been happening to our family back in London. Dead cats had been found left on our doorstep, the steps and hand rail at the front of the house had been greased. But nothing could prepare us for what happened next." 


	9. Part 8

Part 8  
  
Seated, Lucy stared in front of her as she replayed in her mind the events of so long ago. The silence stretched from seconds to minutes but the group around her remained transfixed. Eventually Xander shifted in his seat, breaking the reverie.  
  
"Sorry" he muttered sheepishly. "Dead leg". Lucy, stirred from her memories, looked around her as if woken from a deep sleep. Taking a deep breath and a swig of her, by now, cold tea, she sat back in the sofa and looked at those around her.  
  
"My apologies" she said. "This is still as hard to tell people as it ever was." Willow smiled gently.  
  
"We do understand that this is hard for you. But if you want us to help you in some way then we're going to need to know what we are up against."  
  
"I know." Rising from her seat, Lucy began to pace the floor, her arms wrapped tightly around her, her eyes firmly on the floor, almost as if to see the sympathy in the eyes of her listeners would be entirely too much for her to bear.  
  
"Where was I? Oh yes Bath. Soon after Luke and I announced our engagement, our time in Bath came to an end and we returned to London. It was so hard going back to the house where Jonathan and I had grown up, knowing that he would never be there again. But there were wedding plans to be made and a home to be found and made our own and, although we sorely missed my brother, our lives went on." As Lucy spoke, Buffy's eyes were drawn to the thin gold band on a chain around Lucy's neck. More importantly to the hand that was subconsciously, but desperately, holding on to it. What had happened to this girl? She wondered. How many lives have vampires ruined over the years? As Buffy listened to the tale she felt a renewal of purpose. This is why she was the Slayer, it was her birthright, her duty, to stop tragedies like this. And I get to kick as much vampire butt as humanly possible she thought a trifle smugly.  
  
"Our wedding was set for the first of December. The day dawned bright, clear and bitterly cold. It was the most perfect day of my entire life and I have never been so happy." Despite her words once again there were tears rolling down her cheeks.  
  
"We moved into our house the day we married and had a wonderful few weeks. Then came the day that we were dreading. Christmas Eve. We had determined that this was to be a day of remembrance and not mourning. We would celebrate the life that Jonathan had had, and not what he had lost. Our whole family, including Luke and Rebecca, gathered at my parents home for a meal. Each of us was to have prepared a poem, a song or just a memory of my brother so that we could share it with each other and keep his memory alive. The children were allowed to stay up late, the Christmas tree decorated and the fire blazing as we talked for hours about him and what he had meant to us all. At around nine o'clock there were some strange sounds from the kitchen. When mother rang the bell to ask what was going on there was no reply. Puzzled, but not worried, my brother, Thomas went to see what was wrong." With her last sentence, Lucy's voice changed dramatically, becoming hard, almost brittle. Startled, Buffy looked at her, shocked to see a face that had become as immovable as granite and eyes that were like flints. Gone was the sunny girl that they had met at the bus station only a few hours ago.  
  
"So, are you going to tell us what happened or what? Because I for one am getting a bit hungry." Anya's voice cut into the atmosphere like a knife. Grabbing a handful of the untouched cookies on the plate in front of him, Xander thrust them at the ex-demon with a distinct lack of tact. Looking at little hurt at the lack of attention that she was getting Anya shrugged and subsided, munching.  
  
"Thomas had been gone about 10 minutes when Sarah, his wife, began to wonder where he was. She always was a nervous girl and Thomas was her rock. She hated being apart from him for any length of time. Matthew offered to go and look for him, but as he stood, the door to the drawing room burst open and Thomas was flung back in. It took only a moment to realise that he was dead, in the same fashion as Jonathan. Sarah screamed, but I only had eyes for the person stood in the door. It was Jonathan, my dear brother who had been dead for exactly one year. 


	10. Part 9

Part 9  
  
Buffy was the first to speak, "I'm guessing vampire here?"  
  
"You guess right. And not just Jonathan, it seems that he had a whole new family now and they had chosen the anniversary of his turning to have some fun with the family he was born into." Lucy's tone was bitter and her eyes shone with unshed tears.  
  
"What happened?" asked Giles, his voice soft but coaxing.  
  
"What didn't? After Jonathan had made his entrance the others moved quickly to the exits and made sure that no one got out. That's when the killing started. Men, women, children, all of them slaughtered while my brother stood there, in the centre of the room laughing as they died. Finally, I was the only one that was left. The vampires encircled me and the last thing that I remember was Jonathan's fist crashing down blows on my head." Finally, Lucy's sobs that she had held in check broke through despite her efforts and she sobbed with heartbreak undiminished by the years. Moving to her side Buffy took her in her arms and comforted her.  
  
"But you survived," said Willow. "How, I mean why, I mean, oh dear" Trying to put into words what everyone was thinking she blurted out word that sounded insensitive even to Anya! Covered with confusion, Willow subsided.  
  
"I think I know" said Buffy quietly. "What was it that Angel did when he went bad? He tormented me, got at me through my friends. Through Theresa, through Jenny."  
  
"Yes, through Jenny" repeated Giles quietly. Giving himself a shake, banishing the painful memories for now, Giles leant forward.  
  
"Lucy, we have to know your entire story, if we are to help you. I take it there is more to tell?"  
  
"Oh yes, much. But let me see if I can give you the condensed version. The long and the short of it is that my brother, or the thing that he had become, left me alive to torment me. He had made sure that I watched every member of my family, including my husband, killed. He knew what it would do to me. How was I to explain it to the police? How would I go on with no one left in the word? But he made one mistake.."  
  
"He underestimated you." Riley stood with his back to Lucy but his posture portrayed his tension. Buffy could only imagine what he was going through, it wasn't everyday that something solid from your past fell apart so spectacularly.  
  
"Yes he underestimated me." Lucy replied. Freeing herself from Buffy embrace, she stood and walked away from the group, shaking off her misery and once more becoming the professional that they had seen previously. "I told the police that a gang of men attacked my family, and that I was spared as I was hidden from their view by the body of my youngest sister Emily. After they had gone, I closed up the house and went to stay in some rooms in a reputable boarding house. I knew that my brother was still out there and that I had to do something about him. I began to do some research, listening to stories of every strange encounter, reading all the newspaper reports and any books I could get my hands on. There more I learned, the more horrified I was that this sort of world existed and no- one new anything about it."  
  
"Kinda gets you that way doesn't it" Buffy gave a small grim smile, remembering what her life had been like at Hemery before Merrick had found her.  
  
"By now I had amassed a great deal of knowledge and some magical power, but I knew it wasn't going to be enough to defeat him. So that's when I went looking for help. I read about Anyanka, but a vengence demon didn't seem the right sort of thing for me."  
  
"Got that right, I couldn't have helped you, you hadn't really been wronged by a man. Mind you I could have put you in touch with a few demons who would have been happy to..." Anya's voice cut off suddenly as her mouth was filled by a number of chocolate chip cookies. Xander looked apologetically at everyone asking what could he do?  
  
"You found someone to help you though" Giles asked.  
  
"Yes I did. I read of an ancient goddess, one who had been revered in Britain in the time of King Arthur. She was reputed to be a patron of the wronged. I spent many nights calling to her until eventually she came to me as a being of light. Her name was Ammoneth and she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life. She came to be one night and with one touch of her hand knew everything that had happened to me. She grieved with me for my lost family and my husband and then told me of what she could do for me if I was willing to pay the price. She could make me strong, let nothing hurt me and let me live until I had succeeded in my goal of destroying the monster that had taken everything from me. She would give me powers that would protect me and sustain me for as long as was necessary. I don't think either of us realised it would take so long. But Jonathan is clever, so many times I have nearly had him and each time he has wriggled out of my grasp. The last time I saw him was in LA a week ago. I had hired a private detective to help me track him and we had him cornered but again he got away." Lucy's shoulders sagged. "But one day we will succeed."  
  
"You mentioned a price." Willow ventured, having recovered form her earlier confusion. "What was it?"  
  
"Let me guess," said Buffy "she wants your soul." Lucy nodded.  
  
"But she is a kindly goddess, giving my soul to her is not a bad thing, not if it rids the world of Jonathan."  
  
"So the glowie thing....?" Willow trailed off.  
  
"One of the powers that I have to protect myself. It works well on normal vampires but Jonathan is strong. It will take more than that to defeat him."  
  
"Let me guess again, three for three." Buffy stood straight and as tall as she could. "It will take a Slayer to defeat him?"  
  
"Um actually no it won't." Lucy's tone was somewhat apologetic.  
  
"Oh." Came Buffy's reply, a little flatly.  
  
"Giles, do you have those diaries I asked you for?" asked Lucy, turning to the Watcher.  
  
"What? Oh yes, they're right here." Giles started to hand them to Lucy, but she waved them away.  
  
"In 1872, I discovered the presence of the Slayers and the Watchers Council. Actually, the current Slayer, a lovely girl called Hannah Waterstone, and I ran into each other in a vampire nest in the East End of London. Once we had established that neither of us actually wished to kill the other one, we became friends. She and her Watcher, Samuel Edwards, took me in, taught me much more of the world that I was moving in now. And together the 3 of us formulated a plan to kill Jonathan."  
  
"Good Lord" exclaimed Giles, "it's all in here." He moved onto the 1874 book, it was a very slim volume, no more than a few pages. "The handwriting at the end of this one is different. It's...."  
  
"Mine" said Lucy quietly. "You see, our plan failed, Jonathan had allies of his own. They killed Hannah and Samuel but they couldn't kill me. I finished the entry in the Watcher's journal and I took it to the Council. I told them what had happened and they grieved. But the new Slayer had been called, and she wasn't in England. They promised me what help they could should I ever need anything they could provide, but their energies had to be concentrated on the new Slayer. I understood, and besides I had just lost more friends, I had no one else to turn to and no idea where my brother was."  
  
"Your brother killed a Slayer?" Giles voice was hushed.  
  
"And a Watcher? Buffy's voice was harder than steel.  
  
"Yes. And countless others over the years. But I keep searching and chasing and one day he will be careless and I will kill him and then I will finally be able to rest." Lucy's face was calm in her acceptance of her fate.  
  
"No!" exclaimed Riley, "I won't let that happen. There has to be something we can do?" his voice was almost pleading. Lucy shook her head.  
  
"There isn't, I knew the price when I made the bargain. I will stand by what I have promised. But that is not what is important right now. I think I know the reason why Jonathan has chosen to come her at this time." Lucy paused.  
  
"And that would be because..." Buffy prompted.  
  
"That would be because he plans to open the Hellmouth long enough for it to swallow me up and be rid of me once and for all." 


End file.
